Folding bed.



J'. WELSH.

FOLDING BED.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT/28, 1912.

1,050,319, Patented Jan.14,1913. 2 SHEETSSHEET 1. I

INVENTOR EITNESSES:

- JM W/J A.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. WELSH. FOLDING BED.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1912.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WELSH, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING BED.

To all u'hom. 1'2 may concern I Be it known that I, Join; \VELsiI, a citizen of the United States, residing at. Berkelev, in the county of Alameda and State of lalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding Beds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a folding-bed.

It is the object of this invention to provide a folding-bed which may be readily folded and unfolded. and which, when folded, will be compact and occupy but. a small space.

Another object is to provide a novel means for balancing the bed which is simple in construction and operation.

A further object is to provide, a folding bed which is adapted to be swung vertically in and out of a recess and in which the closure for the recess will form a support for the bed when in its open position.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention primarily resides in a bed frame suspended at its head end on links pivoted to the casing or janib of a recess into which the bed is to be folded; spring means for balancing the bed frame: link connections for-causing the bed frame to swing in and out of the casing on its supporting links and carrying the balancing springs; pivoted head and foot portions on the bed frame: means for automatically folding and unfolding the head portion on the raising and lowering of the bed: means by which the foot portion may be utilized as a mattress clamp; and means by which the closure for the bed recei ing recess will serve as a support for the bed when in its open position.

The invention further consists of the parts and the co nstruction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bed in its open or unfolded position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of same with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a detail section and elevation on the line X-X of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line Y--Y of Fig. 3. Fig. 5

is a vertical section partly in elevation and' with portions broken away, showing the bed in its folded position. Fig. 6 is a detail showing a modified form of the spring balance mcchanisn'i. Fig. 7 is a detail in perspective, illustrating the manner of con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14. 1 913.

Application filed September 28, 1912. Serial No. 722,867.

strncting the rails of the bed frame. Fig. 8 is a detail side elevation of the foot of the bed in its open pcsition. showing the manner of supporting the same. Fig. 9 is a detail of a modified form of the support for the foot of the bed. Fig. 10 is a detail of a further modified form of the supportfor the foot of the bed.

In the drawings .\A represents the side walls or jambs of a casing of any suitable description, into which the bed is to be folded. and which may be in the form of a closet built permanently in a partition or wall; or may be mounted on a base and adapted to be mo\ed from place to place.

The bed frame consists of the usual side and end rails arranged in the form of a rec tangle; the side and end rails being here shown as constructed of angle-iron 2 with the lower horizontal flange turned inwardly, as shown in Fig. 7. Woven wire springs 3 of any suitable description are secured to the inwardly extending flanges of the side and end rails and are designed to span the space inclosed by the angle-iron bed frame to support a mattress 4 of any suitable construction. As a means of finishing the angle-iron 2 forming the side and end rails, to obviate the sharp corners thereof. the angle of the rails is spanned by a sheet-metal plate 5, the outer edges of which are headed at 6 and turned over the outer edges of the rails to clench the plates 5 on the rails. and at the same time form rounded edges thereon, as shown in Fig. 7. The plates 5 are slotted at T to admit of the springs 3 being attached to the angle-iron therebencath.

Mounted on the side rails at the head portion of the bed frame are 'ertically extend ing plates 8 adjacent the upper ends of which a foldable head piece It) is pivoted at E and pivotally mounted at ll on each of the plates 8 are toggle links 1.! and 12': the links 12' being pivotally connected at ill to the sides or ends of the head piece. The toggle links 12--12 are arranged to fold toward the foot of the bed but are limited to a substantially alined position when the bed is open, by means of stops 8 carried by the plates 8. The head portion of the frame is supported upon links H of considerable length. which depend from pivots 15 on the casing A A, and are pivotally connected at 16 to the plates 8 a short distance forward of the rear end rail of the frame, ap proximately on a level therewith and at a point forward o und hch'w tho "ihrlnlcs it it iltl tho nod the plains R rots-word at and ttiiow ()Eiil connections it of tho links it. pct'ttuutions :31 adm t of :iiijustinint oi' ti pivotal UJIZIaiCllIJtt lictn'ocn tlw links if) and the lied frunio to vary the extent oi tho out turnout in 'i onniw rods i itlt iii titiftl t't rot-viii: itlitt-lt tvklts which admit of tine longth of tho rods hoing :idjiistt-i to ro ilziio tho tension of tilt springs it wilt ho ohsorw-o. that tho swings normally XL-ft :i pull on tho boil flltlllt through tho l 1:3 1;! :it u p int icziiwmi'd of tho p" 'otul txmncctions; i of tl c lmd from and its; supporting links it. tending to straightenthc toggle links 12-42 and serving to bulunco the weight of the laud forward of the pivots 1G.

Mounted on the foot end of the side rails of the bed frame are vertical plates 29 which are connected at their upper: ends by means of u horizontally disposed rod 30, and mounted to swing in a vertical direction on the rod 30 is at Foot piut'o 3t. This foot piece 31 is dosigncd to be folded down over the mattress 4, as shown in Fig. 5, and lfitkttl in its innermost position by means of hooks 32 on tlw side rails of the bed frame, which vngugo headed ins 33 at the ends of the foot pictfo 31. Vhen the foot piece St is thin; foidmi down and secured Hi i!) il ir i lii w o "m ing ic hi tho twink Ii" to th hcd frame, it iicts as :i dump in vngu the loot UQll'lOH of the innttics and tho budding thereon to prex'cnt tin-Er tailing "Whom the bed is elevated to it vertical position shown in Fig. 5. itdttfa are providod for locking the foot its-i ..t in a with zti position wlicn the bed Show is ii unt i i moans includes curved l portion Lt harm-1d on tho lower ends of t ihi toot piccc 31, and

iwni d in tlzw (turn-d pori -h tho rod 30 extends, i in is vertical post in the upper it tint portion .-;ot iiizto 31 then ninittzn ntj'it ti \vrt xii iuwz'siillv oxtcnd ing o non of ttw plot-s 1*?) in sit-i" manner us to .J?1 m Your a; itt'x. it in :i vertical im iti n. When. it is. alo irikl to lower or fold tho toot; piPCo 31, it is iiitnil upwardly to position tlii 30 n tlit} lrowor PWJS Of tho slots t: hoingg dono. the toot piecu 31 may to frrcl him i in u downward dire tion into its fii'tdod positiiun sie: indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8.

Pimtull conncctod to the under side of the sidc rails of the? hon. rum-o, udjzivent its foot and. head M1135, are links 36, which am pivotcd at their outer ends to a puncl 5-5? which is Llfllflflth'i to f rm it closure for the casing ri -A whm the bud i:- in its vertical p sition as sho Fig and to form a support for tl" l' 'i in it} horizioiitul clou of the tloos. us hmvn in Fig. 1; it: Hm however, he formed "with a down wim'ily swinging hinged up or ortiomus shown at 37' in Fig. 9, whic i, w ten turned downwardly will serve us a support for the panel and the bed when the latter is unfoldcd.

In the operation of tho invention, when it is desired to move the bed from its closed to its open position, a pull is exerted upon the brackets 38, or other portion of the panel'fit', which pull is transmitted through the links 36 to the upper or foot portion of the bed frame, causing it to swing outwardly from the casing A--A. The bed frame in moving outwardly at its upper end rocks on the pivotal connection 16 on the supporting links 14, and at the same time swings ou' wardly away from the casing A-A. This latter movement is induced by the action of the thrust links 19,the pivotal connections of. which are so arranged that when the foot of the bed is moi-tad outwardly 'sind downwardly, and the head is movedinwardly and upwardly in relation to the pivotal point of support 16 on the links 14', the outer ends ofthe thrust links19 will swing upwardly toward the'horizontal on an arc'of a circle radiatingfrom their pivotal mountings l8, and thereby crowd the bed frame in an out ward direction; the head end of the bed frame moving upward and outward as the links 14 move'out of their vertical positions, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5. The

toggle links 12 and the connecting rods 26 are substantially in alinement when the bed frame stands vertical, and until. it assumes an'angle of approximately or until the rearward movement of thetoggle links 12 in relation to thebed frame is arrested by the stop 8'. The connections 11 of the toggle' links 12 moving downward on an arc of and 12' in relation to each other, thereby of such tension that as'thebed frame rocks forward ,on' the pivots 16, the compression of the springs, as the block 23'1s carried forward in the link 19, by the'connectingrods .26, the weight of the outer end of the bed 'frame as it ;m 0v'es downward will be practically balanced. The toggle links 12 on beingarrested by the stop 8 cause'theconnecting rods 26 to turn on the -pivots ,27 and move'into angular relation to the -toggle links; th'eflconnecting rods continuing their longitudinal morement-and acting to COM- press the springs '22 until the bed reaches its open; or horizontal position, whereupon the toggle liziks'12 and 12"will disposed: in alinem'efnt. forming, in conjunction with the links 145 and 19, what is. known as a lock on the floor? and securely holding the bed inits openposition with its head supported on the links 14. As the bed frame nears the floor, the panel 37 swings downwardly on the links '36 so that. when the bed frame is in a horizontal position, the links 36 will be in a vertical position, and the brackets 38 .will rest upon the floor and thereby form-a. support, for the foot end of tilt: bed frame,

the head end'of which is ii'g' -ried and supported upon the links 14; By forming the links 36 with lingers 39 on their upperends,

whiclr are engageable with stops 40 on the bed ifiranle, they will he lirevented' from "n1 hotond a w-rlieal Position.

poi-Lido it i then raised to its vertical position after the hooks 32 have been. disengaged from the pins 33; the foot portion being folded back on top of the mattress 4 and locked in its folded position to clamp the mattress and bed-clothes when it is desired to fold the bed. Y V

In folding the bed, the operation previously described is reversed. An" upward pull on the foot end of the bed acts to rock it on the pivots 16, the springs 22 expanding in the links 19, and exerting a pull through the connecting rods 26 and the toggle .links 12 and 12 to assist in restoring the. bed frame to its normal position, and also actin through the tOggle'linkS to fold the hea 10 against the mattress 4. When the bed assumes its vertical position in the casing AA, the panel '37 will swing downwardly into position, as shownin Fig. 5, and thereby form a closure for the casing A-A and thus inclose the bed from view. In some in:-.

stances where space will not admit of springs of sufficient length being placed on the thrust links 19, it may be necessary to 5 it dispense with the connecting rods 26 and use spring members 26 in lieu thereof, as shown In Fig. 6. By this construction a greater length of spring, and consequently-a greater spring action may be obtained. By

connecting the panel 37 to the bed frame by links 36, the panel swings clear of the underside of the bed frame, thereby permitting the springs 3 to be depressed when the bed is inathe open position, which wouldnot be possible if the panel was rigidly attached to the underside of the frame. This construction admits of the bed being folded into a nan-rower shallower space than would be possible with the panel rigidly mounted on the underside of the frame, which, 01 the proper operation of thesprings, would necessitate their being positioned above the bed frame, thereby requiring additional space in the casing A+A.

An important feature of this invention resides in the fact that the bed frame swings out away from the casing A 'A when opened. the casing is formed in a wall or partition, as the bed will then be positioned with ils head some distance from the wall when ready for orcupamay.

if desired, [he upper end of the panel 37 may be hinged lo the fool of the bed frame,

as shown in l ig. l(), in which event it is divided lransversel y and hinged as at 50,

This is readily appreciated where in such manner [hat when the bed islowered,

a portion 37 of the panel will form :1 sup the bed lo prevent their being crushed when l the bed is folded. 'lhis guard consists ol a wlre ll'nme Which is pivoted to the upper ,swing in front 0 the rail of the head iece'lO, and is adapted to pillows to inclose them agains t the headpiece.

Hgigving thus described mi invention, what Iclai n 5nd desire to'secnrehyqLetters Pat- "ent,

- nections between said springs and the bed fpending links on the casing'sup f iliead end of the bed, thrust lin' ing thebed to the casing, springs for bal-' ancing the bed on its vertical movement carframe whereby they will act to balance the forward portion of the bed.

2:.slngafolding bed the 7 combination with aibed frame and a; oil-sing therefor, of deorting the connect ried on the thrust links, and means for ad= I Ljusting the'tension of the springs 3. In ii foldingbedthe combination with a casing, of a bed frame, supportinglinks on the casing" carrying the head end of "the bed frgu ne, links on the casing andQf'rame for inducing a rocking movement of the-supporting links, springs on said links' for bah ancing the bed, and a panel forrning a 010- -sureforthecasing linked to the underside of the bed frame, sziidpanel also forming a. supportfor the foot end of the bed when it is'in its open position. I

l 6 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set.

iny hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

V JOHN WELSH. Witnesses: Y

RALPH FREY,

GEO. L. BR Ns. 

